These disturbing times challenge us to reflect on our values to ensure that there is no place for any form of racism or discrimination in our institution and to reaffirm our commitment to ensuring diversity of all kinds within all facets of our enterprise. We must be the change we wish to see in the world.

The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES)’s seventh annual Commencement ceremony was held virtually for the first time this year, and featured Lisa Palmer, award-winning environmental and science journalist and author of the book “Hot, Hungry Planet,” as keynote speaker.

For the first time, Chesapeake Bay watershed health was scored as part of the 2019 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Report Card issued today by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES). The overall Chesapeake watershed scored a B- grade for 2019. The Chesapeake Bay health score decreased in 2019, dropping from a grade of C to a C-.

A new electronic tagging study of 100 Potomac River striped bass sheds light on rockfish migration in Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Coast. University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science researchers found that when rockfish reach 32 inches in length they leave Chesapeake Bay and become ocean migrators.

Healthy Harbors are important for both the communities that surround them and the animals that live in them. Urban waterfronts, including harbors and ports, are a defining feature of coastal cities and serve as gateways to the rest of the world. HPL's Judy O'Neil co-edited a special issue of Regional Studies of Marine Science by the World Harbours Project, which featured several papers by UMCES researchers on harbors around the globe, from Guanabara Bay adjacent to Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) where urban development continues to degrade water quality and ecosystem health to Boston Harbor’s transformation from the “harbor of shame” to a vibrant coastal resource.

A message from President Goodwin on UMCES' response to the COVID-19 crisis

In February, President Peter Goodwin shared highlights of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s long-term commitments on behalf of Maryland to members of General Assembly House and Senate committees as part of budget testimony.

UMCES has been awarded a $500,000 grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to lead a coalition of scientists from around the country to study the impact of storms, sea-level rise, and climate change on estuaries and bays.

European Union Ambassadors to the United States spoke at a public forum at IMET in Baltimore on what their countries are doing to address the growing climate crisis.

A new study from an international group of scientists finds we are releasing more of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide into the atmosphere than previously thought. Agricultural practices and nitrogen-rich fertilizers have significantly increased the amount of nitrous oxide emissions in the atmosphere.